How to copy a table from a screenshot to Numbers on Mac
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2, choose Table in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen and drag over the table. Then click a cell in a Numbers table and press ⌘ V: every value lands in its own cell. It works for tables in screenshots, PDFs, web pages, slides and shared screens.
How to do it with Copyable
Press ⌘ ⇧ 2 and choose Table
The screen freezes and a toolbar appears at the bottom. Choose Table there before you drag.
Drag over the table
Include the header row and leave out titles and footnotes around the table. Clear rows and columns give the cleanest result.
Paste into Numbers
Click the cell where the table should start and press ⌘ V. Each value goes into its own cell.
Without Copyable
The free ways, and where they stop working. If one of them covers what you need, you don’t need an app.
Live Text in Preview, Photos and Quick Look
Open the image in Preview or Photos, or select it in Finder and press Space, then drag across the text as in a document and press ⌘ C. Live Text is built into macOS and free.
Where it stops: Copies the text of the table, which may not keep its columns when pasted into Numbers. Only in Apple’s apps and Safari.
Tips for Numbers
- Numbers recognizes numbers, dates and currency as you paste. If a column stays text, select it and set the data format in the Format sidebar.
- Tables in Pages and Keynote take pasted cells as well.
- Merged cells and cells with several lines of text may need tidying after you paste. Tables with clear rows and columns work best.
Questions
Does it work with Pages and Keynote tables?
Yes. Click a cell in the table and press ⌘ V, as in Numbers.
Does it keep formatting?
No, just the values. Style the table in Numbers after pasting.
What if the table spans two pages of a PDF?
Capture each part and paste them one under the other. Leave out the repeated header row the second time.
Copy text from anything on your screen
Copyable reads the text in any area you select with ⌘ ⇧ 2, on your Mac, without uploading anything. $4.99 once, plus tax where it applies. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
Buy for $4.99